Signing off: Zomato says goodbye to Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines – It’s official: Zomato has left the country.

Without prior notice, the multinational restaurant aggregator has signed off as of Thursday, February 2, and has bid its goodbye to Metro Manila, as seen on its now non-operational website.

“It has been a great run, but we have sadly stopped our operations here,” Zomato wrote, adding that they will still be accessible to customers in India and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Customers located in these countries can still “explore dine-in restaurants and order amazing food” on the website and app.

The country-wide closure comes more than two years after Zomato abruptly halted its Zomato Pro membership program in the Philippines on November 30, 2020. Members could only avail of their benefits until that date. The pro program, for which members paid an annual fee, included exclusive discounts and deals for dine-in consumers.

Zomato Pro followed after Zomato Gold was launched in late 2018, where subscribers could get exclusive dining discounts from Zomato’s partner restaurants for a minimal annual or monthly fee through the app (which is also now defunct).

Zomato collates information from thousands of restaurants and food establishments across the Philippines. The service is an online database for foodies who wish to “explore top restaurants, menus, and view or post photos and food reviews.”

Founded in India in 2008, Zomato in other territories is also a delivery service. In the Philippines, however, Zomato only provides information about establishments within your vicinity. – Steph Arnaldo/Rappler.com